Phonograph toy having an improved speaker cone



United States Patent Richard Shih-Teng Chang Gardena, Calif.

May 6, 1968 Dec. 15, 1970 Mattel, Inc.

Hawthorne, Calif.

a corporation of California lnventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee PHONOGRAPH TOY HAVING AN IMPROVED SPEAKER CONE 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 274/7, 274/ 1 Int. Cl G1lb3/00 Field ofSearch 274/1, 1.1, 1.9,2;46/117, 175, (lnquired); 179/(lnquired); 181/(lnquired) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,082,006 3/1963 Ryan .274/1(.l) 3,370,855 2/1968 Lindsay 274/1(. 1) 3,484,160 12/1969 Glass et al 274/9 3,420,530 1/1969 Ryan et al 274/1 1 3,484,798 12/1969 Disko et a1 274/15 3,452,991 7/1969 Rabe (Schildkrot) 274/1.1 3,286,396 11/1966 Ryan FOREIGN PATENTS 448,553 12/ 1 967 Switzerland 274/1 1,210,582 2/1966 Germany Primary Examiner-Leonard Forman Assistant Examiner-Steven L. Stephan Attorney-Seymour A. Scholnick ABSTRACT: A tone-arm engaging member is provided on a speaker cone and extends radially above the recorded portion of a phonograph record where it is engageable by a tone arm at all times during reporduction of the recorded portion.

PHONOGRAPII 'rov HAVING AN IMPROVED SPEAKER coNE Toy phonographs of the type disclosed. in US. Pat. No. 3,165,320 include a-speaker cone {which carries a piston spring-biased intoengagement with a crossbar provided on'a tone arm for transmitting vibrationsrece'iyed from a phonograph needle toithe speaker cone. The needle is adapted to track a sound groove in a phonograph record from the beginning of a play area to the end thereof, The width of this play area determines the-length of the crossbar on the tone arm because the crossbar must maintain'sliding engagement with the piston at all times while the needle-tracks the groove.

Sound is generated when theneedle tip reacts to the mod'ulation in the groove of the record. Ifthe'groove carries a hilland-dale'type recording, the needle ;tipl moves toward and away from the piston on the speak'e'rjfconel .This. motion is radiatedby the. speaker cone as sound .-If it be assumed that the record is made of extremelyhard m'ate'rialand is axially immovable, then the needle will have an optimum reaction to the modulatiomln actual practice, however',,not all of the motion will be imparted -to the needle tipbe'ca'use all physical systems have compliance-A compliant record results in motion away from the needle tip'with a resultantfdrop in volume and quality of the sound reproduced by the-speaker cone. Motion away from the needle tip in phonograph toys of the type disclosed in said United States patent is'rninimized by mounting the record on a turntable having-a" comparatively heavy mass. This, of course, adds to thefirsbeostofthe toy.

It has been found that twisting of the tenearrn about its longitudinal axis also results in poor souhdfvolume and quality. It will be apparent to those skilled in the artithat comparatively large recordshaving wide recorded areaswil 'l-require a comparatively long crossbar on'the tone arm. to maintain proper contact with the piston on the speaker cone. This results in a long, slender tone arm which maybe easily twisted about its longitudinal axis due to the force exerted on -the cross bar by the spring-biased piston. I H

SUMMARY or THE INvENrIoN;

' ally over the'track from the beginning of the play area to the end thereof. Thus, the tone arm may maint ain sliding engage- .ment'with the tone-arm engaging member at all times during tracking .of the sound track by the needle. The tone-arm engaging meinber eliminates the need for acr'ossbar of the type employed in prior art phonograph toys for connecting the tone arm to the speaker cone. This minimizes thetwisting of the tone am about its longitudinal axis. Additionally, the prior artpiston is eliminated audit is permissible to [make the tone arm of lighter material than would be needed to withstand the twisting imparted thereto by the crossbar of the prior art. This results in a tone arm and speaker cone having less weight than those employed in the prior art making it feasible to eliminate the heavy turntable required in priorartdevices to minimize record motion away from the needle tip.

v The features of the present invention which arebelieved to be novel are set forth with particularity" in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to'it s organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TH DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a phonograph toyemploying a new and improved speaker cone constituting afirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cr ass-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial perspective view of the speaker cone used in the phonograph toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and p FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 ofFlG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:

Referring again to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. l--5, a speaker cone constituting a'first embodiment of the present invention, generally designated 10 is shown for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, as comprising the speaker cone in a phonograph toy 12.- line phonograph toy l2 includes a housing 14 having a bottom wall l6, a pair of In view of the foregoing factors "and conditions characteristic of phonograph toys, it is a-prirnary object of the present invention to provide a new and useful "phonograph toy not subject to the disadvantages enumerated-above andhaving a speaker cone especially designed forniinimizing record motion away from the phonograph needle tip Another object of the present inventio sfto provide a new and useful speaker cone which includesia tone-arm engaging member extending radially over the play area of a record from type which includes a recorded-message-carrier having-sound tracks defining a play area thereon, a needle :for tracking the sound track, a substantially frustoconic'al'speaker cone and a tone arm is provided with a tone-arm engaging member on the speaker cone. The tone-arm engaging member extends. radiderives power from a pair of dry cells 62, 64 which are conend walls 18, 20, a pair of sidewalls 22, 24and an open top 26.

The phonograph toy 12 also includes a recordedmessage carrier 28 having sound tracks 30 defining a play area thereon between the outer periphery 32 and theinner periphery 34 thereof. Recordedmessage carrier 28 is'alsoprovided with a hub portion 36 formed integrally with theportion thereof which carries the sound tracks 30. Hub 361 is provided with an aperture 38 frictionally engaged by a cylindrical sleeve 40 rotatably connecting record-message carrier means 28 to a fixed spindle 42 affixed to bottom wall 16. Bottom wall 16 also carries an upstanding stopmember adapted to arrest a tone arm 46 when it is swung to the outer periphery 32 by a return spring 48. Tone arm 46 includes a first end 50 which is pivotally connected to sidewall 24 by a pivot pin 52 and a free end54 which carries a phonograph needle 56.

Recorded-message carrier means 28=may be rotated by an electric motor 58 having an output'shaft 60 engaging outer periphery 32 of recorded-message carrier means 28. Motor 58 nected to motor 58 through a switch 66 5 g Speaker cone 10 is mounted ina plat70 having an upstanding, annular rim 72 provided thereon. Speaker cone 10 includes a depending, annular rib 74 forming a coupling with rim 72 so that cone 10 is free to move axially under the influence of tone arm 46 which, in turn, is moved by needle 56 tracking sound tracks 30. Tone arm 46 is urged toward recorded-message carrier means 28 by a compression spring 75 having one end 76 bearing against a bracket 78 affixed to a rim 80 in open top 26 and a second end 81 bearing against an elongated, toneiarm engaging member 82. Plate 70 is swingably mounted in rim 80 by a pair of hinges 84, 86 and carries a lift button 88 which may be grasped to lift plate 70 sufficiently to release tone arm 46 so that it is free to be moved to a position against stop member 44 under the influence of spring 48.

I Tone-arm engaging member 82 may be formed integrally with cone during the manufacture thereof by well-known molding techniques and is of sufficient length to extend radially over the play area from the beginning to the end thereof, whereby tone arm.46 may maintain a sliding engagement with member 82 at all times during tracking of sound tracks 30 by needle 56..

Speaker cone 10 may be made from any suitable thin material oftypes well known to those skilled in the art. For example, cone 10 may be made from a styrene monomer: vinylbenzene; phenylethylene; cinnamene; and cinnamol. Cone 10 includes a substantially frustoconical body portion 90 having an apex 92 merging into the tone-arm engaging member 82 which, in turn, includes a lower surface 94 engageable by the tone arm 46. Cone 10 also includes an upper end 96 formed integrally with a concentric shelf 98 and rib 74.

Tone arm 46 and recorded-message carrier means 28 may be made from suitable plastic materials such as an acetal resin and the combined weight of the tone arm 46 and the speaker ,cone employed therewith is sufficiently reduced in comparison to the weight of the speaker cone and tone arm employed in said United States patent that movement of recorded-message carrier means 28 away from needle 56 will .be minimized.

While the particular phonograph toys and speaker cone combinations herein shown and described in detail are fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that they are merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown.

lclaim:

1. In a phonograph toy including a recorded-message carrier means having side-by-side sound track portions defining a play area thereon, a needle for tracking said sound track, a frustoconical speaker cone and a tone arm having said needle depending therefrom, said tone arm transmitting vibrations from said needle to said speaker cone, the improvement which comprises:

a tone-arm engaging member on said speaker cone, said tone-arm engaging member extending transversely over said sound track portions from the beginning of said play area to the end thereof and having a lowermost ridge portion, whereby said tone arm is engageable with said tonearm engaging member at all times during tracking of said sound track by said needle;

said tone arm extending under said ridge portion and having an upper surface slidably engaging said ridge portion substantially directly opposite said needle, said ridge portion being an elongated member extending substantially diametrically across the apex of said cone; and said cone and tone arm engaging member are of sheet material and said tone arm engaging member being a hollow structure formed integrally with said cone during the manufacture thereof.

2. An improvement as stated in claim 1 wherein said speaker cone includes an annular depending rib at its outer periphery and wherein said phonograph toy includes an an nular rim loosely telescopically engaging said rib to form a floating mounting for said cone, whereby said cone is free to move axially. 

